


(dreaming about) things that we could be

by deokjun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Flowers, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Unrequited Crush, lapselock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 22:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15616269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deokjun/pseuds/deokjun
Summary: mark found a dandelion.





	(dreaming about) things that we could be

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't proofread. roughly a word-vomit.
> 
> title is from counting stars by onerepublic.

“where did you find it?” yukhei asks, motioning his eyes to the direction of mark’s grip, where he holds a pretty—but slightly damaged white dandelion. the chinese coos internally when he sees mark’s eyes lit in anticipation; it’s crystal clear and readable as a book. how adorable of mark to be so genuine with how he feels.

“the park,” mark answers. widely curved smile on his lips, his index and thumb fingers pressing the stem a bit so the flower spun gently in his hold. “i went there with hyuck. he found it discarded on the ground and i thought it’s pretty. what do you think?”

it’s not unusual for yukhei, his grandmother had a garden full of flowers he often referenced from for his paintings. he has a notably wide knowledge when it comes to flowers and plants; he knows very well how to differentiate and classify them to each different types. gardenias, carnations, chrysanthemums, dahlias... and of course, dandelions. they’re some basic kinds yukhei often saw at his grandmother’s place back then. he’s grown so used and bored to it, even.

but seeing how enthusiastic and happy mark gets with such simple thing that often bore him, his lips were zipped tight into a thin line. yukhei’s dying to hold a honest smile upon seeing the twinkles in mark’s wide eyes and curled lips. he can never get bored of something if it’s mark. the way mark gets too engrossed with the tiny thing until he doesn’t even notice yukhei’s change in expression; the way mark softly whispers whoa-s and wow-s under his breath; the way mark so carefully holds the little entity in his grip.

yukhei mentally _aww_ s.

“yes, it’s pretty,” when yukhei complies, mark lets out a voice that sounds like a squeal—which almost makes yukhei squeals in return because _oh my god it’s so adorable_. he ends up wheezing at how easily mark can get affected but such a simple comment on a damaged little flower, agreeing that it was the reason of the exploding emotion in his chest and not because anything else.

it makes yukhei’s stomach churn. to see how ecstatic this little man can get from such small things. there’s something in mark’s soft gaze that makes him dizzy and to be honest—he’s willing to be dizzy all the time if it’s because mark.

and if—if he can cause more joy in mark’s life, then yukhei would be willing to do anything. be it something he’s gotten bored of or things he hasn’t ever thought of doing. it won’t even take him a second thought. so he slightly bends his body to reach mark’s hands, gripping them gently whilst locking a stare on the smaller man. mark slightly chokes, immediately returning the gentle gaze yukhei is giving him—a rather puzzled one, the glance coming from him, and that only makes yukhei’s grin grows deeper.

“listen, my grandmother used to tell me that you can wish on a dandelion too,” yukhei explains, mark’s gaze tones down the surprise following his words. his pupils dilated and brows perked up, waiting for yukhei like a curious small puppy. “blow your wish on these tiny petals and they will take your wish away along with the wind.”

“one day, the wind will come back,” yukhei clears his throat—somehow a bit regretting the way he delivered the tale that it makes the theory sounds like a child’s plaything. he wanted it to be more charming, like a soft romance tale even. mark though, doesn’t seem to mind as he never breaks a stare on him and waits for the continuation patiently. which, in many ways, forces yukhei’s throat to keep vibrating his deep voice too. “the wind will come back and bring your wish with it. by then, your wish will be granted.”

yukhei finishes by squeezing mark’s hand gently, releasing his grip from the smaller’s back of hand. a proud grin—just the tiniest pride of making mark happier—is set up on his face, observing mark’s blinking eyes and lightly nodding head. the smaller male exchanges looks between yukhei and the dandelion back and forth, making yukhei sighs so adoringly.

“that’s so beautiful,” mark says after some times. a small nod of approval is gestured by the taller, smug smirk slowly replacing the previous grin. it’s okay to feel prideful, isn’t it? while mark is here, doing something he doesn’t often do: agreeing to him. they catch each other’s stare before cracking a light laughter only they know what it’s supposed to mean. mark then comments again, “clever way of thinking.”

“yeah, yeah,” yukhei raises his index finger and gently pokes mark’s tip of nose while continuing, “you have one in your hand now. why don’t you try it? who knows if they will really get you a brand new laptop.”

that makes mark pouts. 

lately, he’s been whining about his old laptop being so slow and lagging and really bothering his homeworks. he had to turn his project in two weeks late because mark had to borrow yukhei’s and donghyuck’s laptop back and forth just to finish a single paper. his older brother taeyong has offered him his own laptop—but mark can’t really agree, he knows his brother needs it for work more than him and he shouldn’t bug taeyong, so he refused.

now that yukhei mentions it again, he can’t help but remember the weeks where he had been very childish and all he did was whine all day without doing anything about it. mark is still upset, which translates to _amusement_ in yukhei’s case. so the taller laughs with his heart out, voice loud and raspy. in the end, though, mark decides yukhei’s laugh is undeniably contagious and join him laughs at himself.

“okay, sounds good,” mark slips after the loud laughter tones down to residues of giggles. yukhei’s still grinning wide, not that mark complains though. “not exactly the laptop, but sounds good. this dandelion is dying and i don’t even know how to fix my tie so let’s go for it?”

yukhei almost cuts by saying something like “ _i have flower petals running in my blood ofc i can fix it dumbass_ ” but he keeps quiet. gripping mark’s wrist, they rushes to the second floor. mark stumbles, the rooms are lively by their obnoxious jokes and banters along the way.

-

the wind’s calm. cold, but not crazy cold.

it’s almost sunset. yukhei and mark are on the balcony; facing the sky ( _mark_ is facing the sun, yukhei’s full attention is on mark). their breaths slightly labored from running around the corridors and stairs, mark’s shoulder still raising up and going down noticeably. yukhei breathes in a long air before opening the conversation again.

“let’s get to real job. now close your eyes and relax, try to even out your breath,” following yukhei’s instruction, mark closes his lids and inhales until his chest raises—then exhales it carefully. he repeats the action several times before finally settling with a content tone. yukhei bites off his chuckle to a toothy grin.

“think of your wish and blow the dandelion when you’re done, go,”

the sun is setting when yukhei finishes his words. mark visibly takes a sharp inhale, lips slightly moving—perhaps following the long-listed wish he had in his head. yukhei takes one quiet step back as he realizes how close they had become (and possibly how yukhei has a huge chance of ruining it if he takes the wrong action).

he could see mark’s long lashes pressed against his high cheek, thickly curved eyebrows furrowing in full attention, moist pinkish lips mouthing foreign words in the slightest movement. he noticed the way mark’s fingers can hardly stay put and always shake even in the smallest quiver. he didn’t miss how the yellowish sunray hit his complexion in a perfect manner, highlighting his golden undertone.

—and not even the way his heart beats so fast against his chest when his hand aches to ruffle mark’s strands, and not even the way he gulps down his saliva when his mark presses his plump lips to a thin line.

it’s really dizzying; to have a vision of your pretty, petite, endearing lifetime crush on a daily basis—especially when you have to cover it up and act as if everything is platonic. even when things get very domestic in yukhei’s opinion that can pass as a couple’s routine, he can never believe in it.

seeing mark laugh because yukhei’s punny jokes whereas the others only roll their eyes in apathy; mark focusing all his might to make a sunny side up that will always ends up as a burnt scrambled egg; mark crying from a sappy old movie jeno would pull out from nowhere; mark smiling lazily at him in the morning, donned in his worn out sweater never fails to make yukhei’s heart clench, both in endearment and pain.

endearment because everything mark does is always warm and lovely in his eyes—pain because he knows there’s a huge line he has to draw between himself and mark, meaning everything won’t always go as he likes. he can’t force himself to mark and anything mark has and does won’t always be his.

“yukhei, are you done yet?”

a single question from mark brings yukhei back to reality. he immediately gets a grip of himself and composes his usual figure, trying not to flinch nor choke when the little query really does startle him. mark’s brows are still curved down and his lids are closed, just like how yukhei had told him before. the chinese raises one of his brows. “what for?”

and yukhei’s more than dying from the cuteness when mark replies in a serious, stern toned voice for such a plain matter, “the wish. come on, you have to do it too,” _i want you to wish with me_ is lingering in yukhei’s head, hoping mark would continue and say it properly—but of course, _of course_ , he won’t because yukhei’s such a good friend for mark and good friends on’t have such kind of thoughts for each other. yukhei swallows the lemon all by himself.

mark’s idea is actually not bad—yukhei doesn’t think the flower can hold so much wish in one vessel, however. yet he ends up with agreeing (as it comes from mark, honestly?) after scratching the back of his neck and whispering soft “okay”s. his palms overlap with mark’s back of hand, eyes slowling closing.

yukhei did make a wish.

it’s not much, but he hopes it will come true nevertheless. the flower is too small to carry too many wishes, so perhaps i’ll settle for a simpler one for now, yukhei decides.

“done?”

“done.”

“let’s blow it together.”

mark’s cheeks puff a bit when he blows the flower (yukhei knows because he peeks). his warm breath that unintentionally hits yukhei’s fingers makes the taller man shiver down to his spine. the petals fall off from its stem as they heaves together, few of them brushes their foreskin and the rest flies with the wind. dancing gracefully along on the invisible path the breeze had made them. mark’s a happy witness to that, yukhei’s rather more delighted to see mark’s curling smile.

“that’s really beautiful,” mark says. yukhei’s mind tells him that he’s not sure whether mark is talking about the petals or himself because _god_ he looks the prettiest like this: eyes tracing the floating dandelion petals, reflecting such a honest joy, and the corners of his lips are pulled to a sincere beam. yukhei wants to settle with the latter.

“right? my grandmother’s so clever. can’t doubt the florist blood,” yukhei snickers as he pats his shirt. mark chortles at the remark, a glance is thrown to the disappearing petals once again before he gets it back to yukhei—who’s shaking in his feet right now (all in all, mark looks so pretty and he doesn’t expect him to gaze at him just straightly). “you’re not wrong at all, flowerman. what did you wish for?”

yukhei is taken aback. lids widening in a slight second when he receives mark’s inquiry—all of his cells tell him _not_ to say it loud as the potentials of making a chaos with mark out of this single answer is high. everything he’s been trying to conceal will be gone in vain if he slips the wrong response. it’s risky, but his lips is dying to tell this small midget here on how _deep_ yukhei is in love with him.

so maybe he did?

“perhaps just an _amen_ to whatever you’re wishing for. not much. i’ll feel sorry for the dandelion,” yukhei shrugs, tips of finger freezing. he’s glad it came out that way rather than a much rougher version he came up with in his head just a while ago. putting his usual shit-eating wide grin, he pulls mark by the shoulder to one of his arms—earning a loud yelp from the much smaller guy. “i know you’re wishing for that computer, aren’t you!”

mark’s cheeks are now layered in a thin rosy colour. holding the drumlike beating sound just beneath his chest, yukhei coos and pinches mark’s cheek. “no, i didn’t!”

as yukhei starts to stroll, mark has to follow. his long hand reaches out to mark’s back of head, faintly granting his earlier wish to tousle mark’s locks. mark’s small finger nudges yukhei’s side, it affects him just a little bit. they laugh together as yukhei struggles to open the door, mark squeezing his eyes shut and laughter pressing to yukhei’s chest. everything feels so right for once even though yukhei’s heart is aching, crashing like the dandelion they blew.

“c’mon, nana’s already calling us! race to downstairs or else i’ll post your wailing to my snapchat!”

“yukhei—yukhei! hold up, you asshole giant! let go of me, oh my god!”

they race to the first floor. mark stumbles, the stairs are lively by their occasional shouts and questionable jests. somewhere among the soft breeze, a specific petal of dandelion holds yukhei’s honest piece of mind that he never misses to hope for:

 _dear god, please keep him happy_.

**Author's Note:**

> heLLo school has been v v v busy but who can keep me off from these dorks right !! idk if people actually wish on dandelions lol & this was soooo messy but i hope you guys enjoy it tho!!! i'll try to post steadily jfbdsfnjsd xx


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